Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Balbriggan and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $918 a month against $2,672 in Balbriggan, rent and utilities included – about $21,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Balbriggan
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Balbriggan Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Balbriggan

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,672

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Balbriggan and in Cebu

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Balbriggan and in Cebu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,672 in Balbriggan versus $918 in Cebu.

Balbriggan $2,672
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,921 in Balbriggan versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Balbriggan $3,921
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,171 in Balbriggan versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Balbriggan $5,171
Cebu $1,900

Living in Balbriggan is roughly 191% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Balbriggan is 98% above, Cebu is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.23 €20.66

$3.09 ₱195

651.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 €90.8

$24.22 ₱1,525

321.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.42 €11.93

$3.92 ₱247

242.35%

Cappuccino

$4.76 €4.23

$2.51 ₱158

89.64%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 €2.66

$1.59 ₱100

88.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.53 ₱33.45

307.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.77 €6.91

$1.78 ₱112

336.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.37 €6.55

$2.17 ₱137

239.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 €1.43

$1.92 ₱121

-16.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 €2.11

$1.36 ₱85.5

75.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.99 €1.77

$1.01 ₱63.6

97.03%

Eggs

$3.14 €2.79

$2.03 ₱128

54.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.95 €8.85

$9.86 ₱621

0.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.92 €11.49

$4.39 ₱277

194.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.77 €14.03

$7.60 ₱479

107.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 €2.51

$3.30 ₱208

-14.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.39 ₱87.8

63.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.76 €2.45

$2.33 ₱147

18.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.10 €4.53

$1.50 ₱94.3

240.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.36 ₱149

-21.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 €1.32

$1.90 ₱119

-21.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.19 ₱74.9

10.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 €1.77

$0.63 ₱39.73

215.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.44 €19.07

$3.00 ₱189

614.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 €11.94

$6.03 ₱380

122.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.85 €2.54

$1.23 ₱77.7

131.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 €2.28

$1.75 ₱110

46.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.63 €2.34

$0.25 ₱15.87

952.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$132 €117

$12.64 ₱796

944.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.16 €4.59

$0.77 ₱48.64

570.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 €1.37

$0.23 ₱14.54

569.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.03 €33.82

$4.46 ₱281

752.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.90

$1.31 ₱82.8

62.60%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$38.9K €34.6K

$21.2K ₱1.3M

82.91%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$38.7K €34.4K

$19.1K ₱1.2M

102.03%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$168 €150

$120 ₱7,573

39.95%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$16.66 €14.82

$14.00 ₱882

19.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.50 €39.58

$27.54 ₱1,735

61.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.7 €47.77

$32.33 ₱2,036

66.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$13.37 €11.89

$5.65 ₱356

136.64%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,131

$275 ₱17.3K

361.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,345 €4,754

$7,918 ₱498.8K

-32.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$108 €95.7

$49.33 ₱3,107

118.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.38 €25.24

$25.24 ₱1,590

12.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.3 €54.5

$77.0 ₱4,848

-20.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €117

$57.2 ₱3,603

130.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,552 €1,380

$500 ₱31.5K

210.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,350 €1,201

$309 ₱19.5K

337.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,611 €2,322

$1,078 ₱67.9K

142.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,085 €1,854

$615 ₱38.8K

238.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,302 €2,047

$346 ₱21.8K

565.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

7.2

-46.94%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Balbriggan: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Balbriggan

$1.4K 50.5%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 77.1% $1K

Eating Out

Balbriggan

$357 13.4%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 75.3% $269

Groceries & Markets

Balbriggan

$350 13.1%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 41.2% $145

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Balbriggan

$229 8.6%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 29.5% $68

Getting Around

Balbriggan

$155 5.8%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 90% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Balbriggan

$148 5.5%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 36.6% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Balbriggan

$80 3%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 45.8% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,552 in Balbriggan and $500 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Balbriggan pays 565% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $102 in Balbriggan vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Balbriggan

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

08:50 8:50 AM

15:50 3:50 PM

7 h ahead of Balbriggan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,322

964,169

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.93 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Balbriggan Cebu 11,500 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Balbriggan
Cebu

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Balbriggan vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Balbriggan and Cebu differ by about 191% in total monthly costs ($2,672 vs $918 including rent). Cebu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 565% higher in Balbriggan, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,552 in Balbriggan versus $500 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 70% higher in Balbriggan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Cebu – a meal for two runs $24.00 versus $102 in Balbriggan. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $918 in Cebu versus $2,672 in Balbriggan, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cebu but tight or insufficient in Balbriggan. The gap between the two cities makes Cebu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Balbriggan and Cebu are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Cebu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 191% less than in Balbriggan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.